Thanks to Becky LaPlant for sending me a recent article from TwinCities.com (Speed up, with fiber). The author does a great job of outlining broadband efforts throughout the state.
She mentions
- Eagan’s efforts to pledge to get gigabit-a-second Internet speed by 2015 (which they seem to want for the whole state!).
- The Iron Range and their $45 million project to build out fiber in 11 communities.
- Monticello and their referendum next month to decide whether it can build a citywide fiber-optic network that can offer phone service along with television and a high-speed Internet
- Red Wing and their early efforts to make a plan for broadband
- Wabasha and their Hiawatha Broadband installed a fiber-optic, which may soon include neighboring areas such as Rolling Stone, Stockton and Lewiston
- Minneapolis and their wireless network, which was an asset in the 35W Bridge incident
- And finally ST Paul and their recent efforts
She even mentions the Blandin Foundation because the Foundation believes that cities can often be a good broadband partner because cities do not need to recoup investment costs as quickly as a business would.
I wish I could say more – but I’m getting ready to hop on a plane to Dublin 
